Half-Heartless
Chapter Three
The blistering heat of the sun seems extra-intense today. The fright that caused my friends and I such discomfort yesterday has sent the entire Deep Jungle population into a frantic, panicking frenzy. Xavier is there to calm us down, his flickering yellow eyes half-closed, lips formed into a knowing smirk against his frigid white skin. As always, his dark brown cloak covers all of his body, the hood up and hiding all but his face.
The plan that was formed days ago is put into action; the Bouncywilds, including myself, are organized so that they lead small squads of Powerwilds. The leftover Powerwilds attack by themselves. Stealth Sneak, Xavier's ever-loyal pet, will be used if all other forces fail. When I am assigned a squad, the rest of the squad members give me loathsome, accusing stares. I cast aside the nervous feeling inside of me.
Just as Xavier is organizing Maria's group, a loud roaring noise is heard. Everyone's eyes wander to the towering sight of the tree house, its ancient form bearing weak, rotted wood. A persimmon streak cascades across the sky, overtop the tree house, a burning flame riding in its wake. Sparks fly as it is wedged in between the branches of the majestic tree bearing the manmade home.
A figure, seeming to be a black dot, falls out of the crimson thing and crashes through the roof. Everyone is hushed; I can feel the half of my heart beating quickly. All of us know who this newcomer is. And why he has arrived. The Keybearer is here, to bring a downfall upon the many alarmed Bouncywilds, Powerwilds, and Shadows.
Everyone scatters. Xavier mutters a disappearing spell under his breath and vanishes. Our forms melt away into the shadows, waiting for the moment when we would strike. Personally, I don't think we're much competition for the Keyblade master himself.
And we wait.
Hours sluggishly move like days as all of the Heartless hold their breath. This is it; there's no turning back now. We must fight. Fight for what we believe in, fight for our true cause. We must not allow anything to stop us. The Heartless must destroy everything in their path.
I shake my head. This isn't me! I'm a kind, polite female Heartless that wants to make a difference, not promote violence! Wasn't I the one, a few days ago, that said that she didn't want to harm to the Keyblade master? And that Air Pirate- Storm- he vowed to always stay by my side, didn't he?
...
...
Storm!
The name screeches through my mind, penetrating my very existance. If Storm comes, the Keyblade master would see him and... I cast away the unnerving thought. But how long can I delay my mind from constantly worrying about my best friend?
I make my brain shut off. I can't think. I need to concentrate of the demanding task before me. I can usually sort everything out when I'm hiding in the shade. But today is not the same case.
Hiding in the bamboo thicket is a normal thing for me, but with a squad of Powerwilds behind me, it's quite scary. They wait for my call, even though I feel the hatred and malice in their lampish orbs. They depend on me. On me. And I don't want to fight. Yet, in the air around them, I can feel their lust for a living heart, to rob an innocent of its life in return for their own.
Is that right?
And what is the Keybearer like? I picture a strong man in his mid-twenties, with perfect features. But is that what he looks like? I feel somewhere in my mind that I am wrong, that I will be surprised.
I am awakened from my ponderings by the sound of footsteps. My eyes lift to see a young boy, followed by a duck, a dog, and a monkey man. That's all. A boy. That's... all? My eyes are fixated on the instrument that the boy carries in his hand, and a rush of fear explodes throughout my body. The Keyblade! So... this boy, who looks so polite and gentle... so this boy is the Keyblade master?
Hatred floats through the air, creating a certain tension around all the Heartless. I jump to my feet and ready my slingshot, prepared to dash into battle if I have to. Only if I have to. Otherwise, I'm not harming this young human, so innocent and pure that he was honored with the Keyblade.
Suddenly, Powerwilds lash out at him. Immediately the dog disappears somewhere. The duck aims his staff at a Powerwild and unleashes a powerful blast of flames, followed by the monkey man tearing at another. The boy himself delivers a powerful blow; the battle is on. I know, deep inside somewhere, that this is not right. But what would the Heartless think?
I watch, my stomach fluttering, as Maria's squad appears after the lone Powerwilds have been completely destroyed. Wiped out. Annihilated. And they're not coming back. What if it happens to Maria? I see my friend fighting for all she's worth, hitting the opposing side with rocks from her slingshot and throwing out banana peels.
While she's clawing at the duck, the boy runs up behind her.
"No!" I scream, blurting out before I know what I'm doing. I dash out into the open, all of the Heartless glaring at me disapprovingly, but for once I don't care.
I can hear Maria's breath coming out in short gasps, I see her weak from battle. The Keybearer raises his weapon to bring down the killing blow...
I will not let my friend die.
I grasp Maria's arm and pull her out of the way. Everything halts; the jungle is in silence. The boy's calm blue eyes are on me, filled with curiousity. Never before has he seen a Heartless do something in the act of love. But I am not Heartless. I am half-Heartless and proud. Everyone lowers their weapons. The Powerwilds of Maria's squad comes up around us.
Knowing that trying to communicate with this human would be fruitless, I try to remember my English skills as I dig my claw into the dirt ground. Perhaps we can speak through writing.
"'My name is Destiny and I am only half-Heartless,'" reads the boy, "'I do not wish to harm you and I wish for you to do the same with my kind.'"
What am I writing? My claw moves like lightning, however I don't know what I am letting the boy read. What am I revealing to this stranger?
"'I wish to join you.'"
Gasps arise. Did I write that? I look at the ground and see that I did, indeed, write that down. The truth comes out. Maria stares at the writing in awe, then slowly moves up and puts down, 'Me too.' Eyes shift as we are in silence. Then, the final decision is made by the Heartless. We are traitors.
I find myself battling against others that I have grown up around. Maria and I are shown the same cruelty as any other non-Heartless being. I am lost in a whirlwind of claws and weapons and resentment...
The skirmish doesn't last for long, but it is difficult. I am fighting against my own kind. And since such a drastic turn of events came up, the battle called for drastic measures. All of the opposing Heartless jump out of the thicket and attack us, their eyes filled with a violent hatred.
Travis pounces on me. I attempt to struggle out of his angered grasp, but my attempts are in vain. He raises his paw and prepares to completely mutilate me, unleash all of the prejudice against me that he has bottled up over the years. I close my eyes. This IS the end, isn't it? I'm going to die only a few moments after I've made my life-changing decision. Perhaps I should've stayed on the Heartless' side. I brace myself, but Travis' merciless strike never came.
I look around to see that the battle is still going, but beside me lies Travis' weak and barely living body. Above his torn visage towers a figure, dressed in indigo with golden shackles around its wrists, a blue-and-white bandana tied around its head. In its gloved hands it clutches an ebony hilt, bearing an amethyst blade.
"S-Storm?" I ask weakly. The Air Pirate bends down next to me, concern burning brightly in his amber eyes. I feel his hand gently adjust my tattered red bow.
"It's okay, Des," he reassures, "I'm right here, like I told you."
I am lost in a world of relief and happiness. Storm just saved my life, and I owe him big time. I forget the battle temporarily, but everything comes back suddenly.
Behind him, I see Travis weakly struggle to his feet. The Powerwild's eyes angrily flicker red at my rescuer, and his paw lifts above Storm's head. My eyes widen and I jump to my feet, despite the stinging pain throbbing throughout my body. My friend swivels around and retaliates Travis' blow. The Powerwild mutters a squeak of pain and falls backwards. He disappears. Did Storm just kill one of his own kind? I've never known the Air Pirate to be so aggressive.
"You alright?"
The Keyblade master spoke to me, but then his attention turned to the Air Pirate next to me. Again, there was another question in his mind; friend or foe? I had already proven my devotion to the Keyblade. But what about Storm? I look up at the Air Pirate.
To everyone's surprise, the winged Heartless bows before the boy. The Keybearer relaxes and smiles. I look around. No more Heartless are remaining. We fought them all off! And all of us came out alive!
Maria, Storm, and I stand up in a row before the chosen one. The duck and the boy have a heated debate on whether or not they should accept us.
"But they're Heartless!" argues the duck.
"And they helped us, too!" counters the Keyblade master, "The middle one also said that it was only half-Heartless!" (The middle one was, of course, me.)
"They help Sora." interrupts the monkey man. "They come with Sora. They help US."
The duck looks like he's about to throw a temper tantrum, and I can't help but laughing. My laughter comes out in squeaks and peeps; nothing like human laughter. Now that I'm allied with the Keyblade master, can I control my jealousy of his gifted human life?
[Author's Note]
Gypsy: If I'm not mistaken... there were absolutely no FF9 characters in Kingdom Hearts. That's not fair.
Maji: For once, I agree with you. *hides her Vivi plush behind her back*
Gypsy: Nuh-uh! Vivi is MY size, you can have Sora!
Maji: Pfft. Has it ever occured to you that I'm CHIBI?? Vivi is close enough to my size!
Gypsy: You can find a way to warp back in time and become a couple with Sora's younger self.
Maji: HE LOOKED LIKE HE WAS EIGHT IN THOSE MEMORIES! I'M TWELVE! DUMBUTT!
Gypsy: Well, Vivi isn't your age either! :P
Maji: Oh yeah...
[Disclaimer]
I don't own any trademarked stuff (that's all I'm saying; it gets tiring repeating myself), but I DO own anything that didn't appear in the game, like Travis, Destiny, Maria, Xavier, and Storm.
Chapter Three
The blistering heat of the sun seems extra-intense today. The fright that caused my friends and I such discomfort yesterday has sent the entire Deep Jungle population into a frantic, panicking frenzy. Xavier is there to calm us down, his flickering yellow eyes half-closed, lips formed into a knowing smirk against his frigid white skin. As always, his dark brown cloak covers all of his body, the hood up and hiding all but his face.
The plan that was formed days ago is put into action; the Bouncywilds, including myself, are organized so that they lead small squads of Powerwilds. The leftover Powerwilds attack by themselves. Stealth Sneak, Xavier's ever-loyal pet, will be used if all other forces fail. When I am assigned a squad, the rest of the squad members give me loathsome, accusing stares. I cast aside the nervous feeling inside of me.
Just as Xavier is organizing Maria's group, a loud roaring noise is heard. Everyone's eyes wander to the towering sight of the tree house, its ancient form bearing weak, rotted wood. A persimmon streak cascades across the sky, overtop the tree house, a burning flame riding in its wake. Sparks fly as it is wedged in between the branches of the majestic tree bearing the manmade home.
A figure, seeming to be a black dot, falls out of the crimson thing and crashes through the roof. Everyone is hushed; I can feel the half of my heart beating quickly. All of us know who this newcomer is. And why he has arrived. The Keybearer is here, to bring a downfall upon the many alarmed Bouncywilds, Powerwilds, and Shadows.
Everyone scatters. Xavier mutters a disappearing spell under his breath and vanishes. Our forms melt away into the shadows, waiting for the moment when we would strike. Personally, I don't think we're much competition for the Keyblade master himself.
And we wait.
Hours sluggishly move like days as all of the Heartless hold their breath. This is it; there's no turning back now. We must fight. Fight for what we believe in, fight for our true cause. We must not allow anything to stop us. The Heartless must destroy everything in their path.
I shake my head. This isn't me! I'm a kind, polite female Heartless that wants to make a difference, not promote violence! Wasn't I the one, a few days ago, that said that she didn't want to harm to the Keyblade master? And that Air Pirate- Storm- he vowed to always stay by my side, didn't he?
...
...
Storm!
The name screeches through my mind, penetrating my very existance. If Storm comes, the Keyblade master would see him and... I cast away the unnerving thought. But how long can I delay my mind from constantly worrying about my best friend?
I make my brain shut off. I can't think. I need to concentrate of the demanding task before me. I can usually sort everything out when I'm hiding in the shade. But today is not the same case.
Hiding in the bamboo thicket is a normal thing for me, but with a squad of Powerwilds behind me, it's quite scary. They wait for my call, even though I feel the hatred and malice in their lampish orbs. They depend on me. On me. And I don't want to fight. Yet, in the air around them, I can feel their lust for a living heart, to rob an innocent of its life in return for their own.
Is that right?
And what is the Keybearer like? I picture a strong man in his mid-twenties, with perfect features. But is that what he looks like? I feel somewhere in my mind that I am wrong, that I will be surprised.
I am awakened from my ponderings by the sound of footsteps. My eyes lift to see a young boy, followed by a duck, a dog, and a monkey man. That's all. A boy. That's... all? My eyes are fixated on the instrument that the boy carries in his hand, and a rush of fear explodes throughout my body. The Keyblade! So... this boy, who looks so polite and gentle... so this boy is the Keyblade master?
Hatred floats through the air, creating a certain tension around all the Heartless. I jump to my feet and ready my slingshot, prepared to dash into battle if I have to. Only if I have to. Otherwise, I'm not harming this young human, so innocent and pure that he was honored with the Keyblade.
Suddenly, Powerwilds lash out at him. Immediately the dog disappears somewhere. The duck aims his staff at a Powerwild and unleashes a powerful blast of flames, followed by the monkey man tearing at another. The boy himself delivers a powerful blow; the battle is on. I know, deep inside somewhere, that this is not right. But what would the Heartless think?
I watch, my stomach fluttering, as Maria's squad appears after the lone Powerwilds have been completely destroyed. Wiped out. Annihilated. And they're not coming back. What if it happens to Maria? I see my friend fighting for all she's worth, hitting the opposing side with rocks from her slingshot and throwing out banana peels.
While she's clawing at the duck, the boy runs up behind her.
"No!" I scream, blurting out before I know what I'm doing. I dash out into the open, all of the Heartless glaring at me disapprovingly, but for once I don't care.
I can hear Maria's breath coming out in short gasps, I see her weak from battle. The Keybearer raises his weapon to bring down the killing blow...
I will not let my friend die.
I grasp Maria's arm and pull her out of the way. Everything halts; the jungle is in silence. The boy's calm blue eyes are on me, filled with curiousity. Never before has he seen a Heartless do something in the act of love. But I am not Heartless. I am half-Heartless and proud. Everyone lowers their weapons. The Powerwilds of Maria's squad comes up around us.
Knowing that trying to communicate with this human would be fruitless, I try to remember my English skills as I dig my claw into the dirt ground. Perhaps we can speak through writing.
"'My name is Destiny and I am only half-Heartless,'" reads the boy, "'I do not wish to harm you and I wish for you to do the same with my kind.'"
What am I writing? My claw moves like lightning, however I don't know what I am letting the boy read. What am I revealing to this stranger?
"'I wish to join you.'"
Gasps arise. Did I write that? I look at the ground and see that I did, indeed, write that down. The truth comes out. Maria stares at the writing in awe, then slowly moves up and puts down, 'Me too.' Eyes shift as we are in silence. Then, the final decision is made by the Heartless. We are traitors.
I find myself battling against others that I have grown up around. Maria and I are shown the same cruelty as any other non-Heartless being. I am lost in a whirlwind of claws and weapons and resentment...
The skirmish doesn't last for long, but it is difficult. I am fighting against my own kind. And since such a drastic turn of events came up, the battle called for drastic measures. All of the opposing Heartless jump out of the thicket and attack us, their eyes filled with a violent hatred.
Travis pounces on me. I attempt to struggle out of his angered grasp, but my attempts are in vain. He raises his paw and prepares to completely mutilate me, unleash all of the prejudice against me that he has bottled up over the years. I close my eyes. This IS the end, isn't it? I'm going to die only a few moments after I've made my life-changing decision. Perhaps I should've stayed on the Heartless' side. I brace myself, but Travis' merciless strike never came.
I look around to see that the battle is still going, but beside me lies Travis' weak and barely living body. Above his torn visage towers a figure, dressed in indigo with golden shackles around its wrists, a blue-and-white bandana tied around its head. In its gloved hands it clutches an ebony hilt, bearing an amethyst blade.
"S-Storm?" I ask weakly. The Air Pirate bends down next to me, concern burning brightly in his amber eyes. I feel his hand gently adjust my tattered red bow.
"It's okay, Des," he reassures, "I'm right here, like I told you."
I am lost in a world of relief and happiness. Storm just saved my life, and I owe him big time. I forget the battle temporarily, but everything comes back suddenly.
Behind him, I see Travis weakly struggle to his feet. The Powerwild's eyes angrily flicker red at my rescuer, and his paw lifts above Storm's head. My eyes widen and I jump to my feet, despite the stinging pain throbbing throughout my body. My friend swivels around and retaliates Travis' blow. The Powerwild mutters a squeak of pain and falls backwards. He disappears. Did Storm just kill one of his own kind? I've never known the Air Pirate to be so aggressive.
"You alright?"
The Keyblade master spoke to me, but then his attention turned to the Air Pirate next to me. Again, there was another question in his mind; friend or foe? I had already proven my devotion to the Keyblade. But what about Storm? I look up at the Air Pirate.
To everyone's surprise, the winged Heartless bows before the boy. The Keybearer relaxes and smiles. I look around. No more Heartless are remaining. We fought them all off! And all of us came out alive!
Maria, Storm, and I stand up in a row before the chosen one. The duck and the boy have a heated debate on whether or not they should accept us.
"But they're Heartless!" argues the duck.
"And they helped us, too!" counters the Keyblade master, "The middle one also said that it was only half-Heartless!" (The middle one was, of course, me.)
"They help Sora." interrupts the monkey man. "They come with Sora. They help US."
The duck looks like he's about to throw a temper tantrum, and I can't help but laughing. My laughter comes out in squeaks and peeps; nothing like human laughter. Now that I'm allied with the Keyblade master, can I control my jealousy of his gifted human life?
[Author's Note]
Gypsy: If I'm not mistaken... there were absolutely no FF9 characters in Kingdom Hearts. That's not fair.
Maji: For once, I agree with you. *hides her Vivi plush behind her back*
Gypsy: Nuh-uh! Vivi is MY size, you can have Sora!
Maji: Pfft. Has it ever occured to you that I'm CHIBI?? Vivi is close enough to my size!
Gypsy: You can find a way to warp back in time and become a couple with Sora's younger self.
Maji: HE LOOKED LIKE HE WAS EIGHT IN THOSE MEMORIES! I'M TWELVE! DUMBUTT!
Gypsy: Well, Vivi isn't your age either! :P
Maji: Oh yeah...
[Disclaimer]
I don't own any trademarked stuff (that's all I'm saying; it gets tiring repeating myself), but I DO own anything that didn't appear in the game, like Travis, Destiny, Maria, Xavier, and Storm.